This invention relates generally to ring-like objects designed to be worn as jewelry, and more particularly to rings which are enabled to be releasably opened for fitting about a portion of the wearer's body, e.g., finger, which are resistant to accidental opening, and which are easily opened when desired.
Conventional finger rings or other jewelry arranged to be worn about a portion of the body must have a sufficient diameter to slide over the knuckle or other bony protuberance adjacent the point at which the ring is to be worn. Normally, such action does not present any problem since the difference in diameter between the bony protuberance, e.g., knuckle, and the portion on which the ring is worn is sufficiently small so that a properly fitting ring is comfortable to wear, to put on and to remove. However, there are numerous individuals who, for a variety of reasons, such as bone fractures, arthritis, etc., have enlarged knuckles or other protuberances, which prevent their wearing of conventional jewelry.
The prior art includes adjustable, expandable and openable jewelry rings. For example, some of the prior art discloses rings which are adjustable in size through a specific range. Such rings are limited to a fixed expansion and are adapted to permanently remain in one particular size. They are also generally constructed so that they can expand only to a limited degree, thus limiting the size of a knuckle or other protuberance over which they may be fit.
The prior art also discloses openable rings having exposed latching members that easily can be opened by a person's finger, to thereby permit repeated opening of the ring. Because these rings have exposed latching members that are designed to be opened by the modest downward force imparted by a person's finger, they inherently lack the desired durability and safety against self-opening.
There are a variety of other openable ring constructions which have been disclosed in the prior art. A number of the ring constructions employ, as part of the locking or latching system, a separate spring member. The use of a separate spring can increase the fabrication and material costs of the ring, since the spring element is made separate from the ring, and then needs to be affixed to the remainder of the ring structure. In addition, resilient spring members often tend to lose their resiliency, and in prior art constructions employing such spring members, a loss of resiliency may adversely affect the locking capabilities of the construction.
In a variety of prior art structures the latching mechanisms are quite bulky and unsightly, and therefore are not readily adaptable for use on high quality jewelry made of precious metals, such as gold and silver. Still other latching assemblies constitute a point of weakness which is readily susceptible to being deformed under bending stresses of the type which normally are encountered by the wearer of the ring. Still other prior art structures are somewhat difficult to use, requiring substantial manual dexterity in order to properly close the ring, and, when desired, to open the ring.
Examples of prior art adjustable or openable ring-like jewelry are found in Netherlands Patent No. 87,32 (Goldrick); French Patent No. 75 07499 (Algier) and the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 145,788 Cottle); 804,137 (Kent); 1,003,696 (Briggs); 1,296,435 (Schmidt); 2,045,282 (Metcalf); 3,204,426 (Armstrong); 3,221,514 (Newman); 3,465,563 (Baker), 3,736,770 (Kelrick) and 4,879,883 (Brunner).
While some prior art ring structures may be generally suitable for their intended purposes they still leave much to be desired from the standpoint of utility, ability to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance, ease of closing and locking, resistance to bending, resistance to accidental opening and/or ease of opening.